Eight is too much
by Ximily
Summary: Astrid is left scarred after Hiccup is killed by the Night Fury, but one night she makes a shocking discovery. One-shot. Astrid-Fishlegs, Ruffnut-Snotlout


I woke up. Another bad night of sleep. Another raid had started. I sighed deeply before getting up. Quickly tying my hair up with a tight knot, I walked towards the mirror, like I always did since that day. The scar on my face seemed even bigger in the light of the candle I left burning next to the mirror. I let my fingers run over the scar before clenching them together in a fist. _It's been eight years now…_

My gaze shifted to the axe, which was resting against the cabinet close to the door. With one smooth movement, I grabbed it while leaving the room. Downstairs, I saw that Fishy had left the front door open. That big oaf still forgot little things like that. Outside I saw the neighbors house burning. Not even bothering to thank the gods that it wasn't our house that was hit, I dashed outside and immediately knocked out a Zippleback nearby.

"Ah, good morning Astrid," Snotty said. He had come running towards me when I appeared. I didn't reply his greeting. "I get it. It's too early. But I've got a treat for you. I saw a Thunderdrum somewhere, and people say there are Changewings around!" Tough dragons, yes, but not anything that would make me really excited.  
>"Where's Fish?" I asked. Snotlout thought for a moment.<br>"Last time I saw him he was at the lower fields, with Stoick."  
>"Thanks." I started running, occasionally stopping to sever a Nadder's wing or help someone else chase a Gronckle away.<p>

In the distance, close to the dock, I could hear the piercing shriek of the Thunderdrum. I should have been able to see it from where I was, but it was still extremely dark. "Come on, guys! Give us some light around here!" I yelled. Some of the older Vikings confirmed the command and started the job of hoisting the big torches. I continued to hurry down the main street. An explosion nearby startled me for a moment, but was not enough to through me off my feet. I've been through too much to let something like that happen.

A few minutes later I arrived at the lower fields, where our herds had been gathered to keep them safe. Fishy was herding them towards one of the pens, where other Vikings were keeping an eye out for attackers. "Morning, sweetie," I said, giving Fishy a quick hug. "You left the door open again."  
>"Oh, I'm sorry. But you know me, I just had to get out there," he answered, somewhat heroic. The low rumbling call of a Changewing made him jump. I chuckled; sometimes he was still the scaredy-cat he used to be all those years ago.<p>

The dragon appeared on top of the hill. As it was common for their species, their voice really mismatched their size. But these dragons weren't notorious because they were gigantic. I gently nudged Fishlegs to get him to move the sheep. I turned my axe around in my hand several times, waiting for the Changewing to make a move. When it raised its head to spray the deadly acid that was its trademark, I quickly rolled aside and sliced its throat.

"Astrid!" That was Stoick calling. I looked around and greeted the chief with the respect he deserved. The poor man's age was catching up with him, but he was still the strongest and bravest Viking around. "It's a big attack today. Head over to the catapults to protect the shooters."  
>"Gotcha," I said, winking at Fishy as I ran away again.<p>

On my way towards the catapults, I literally ran into Ruff. She tripped and fell, though I just managed to stay on my feet. "Nice. I like you too," Ruff said sarcastically. I reached out a hand and lifted her up. Together we ran off. "Heading for the catapults, are ya?" she asked. I nodded in reply. "Me too. Just squashed a bunch of Terrors that were stealing our fish."  
>"Just maimed a Changewing that was after our sheep," I said. "I'm ahead of you."<br>"Well, the night isn't over yet." Ruffnut grinned. "Who knows, maybe I'll hit a Nightmare or something." As someone shouted a warning, we ducked, letting a ball of fire pass over our heads. Business as usual.

"Shouldn't you be watching your child?" I asked, seeing the flames engulf the wood with ease.  
>"Tuff takes care of him for me. He broke his leg last week, remember? He can't make himself useful in any other way, right? And he's growing fond of his little nephew." We climbed the ladders up to the catapults.<br>"Who could blame him. They're both big noisy babies. They look more alike than you two do as twins."  
>Ruff laughed while loading the catapult. Another Viking joined us and started turning the catapult to the right position. I scanned the skies and checked on the condition of the other catapults. It was calm for now, but soon after starting the assault, the big boys would come to protect the smaller ones from our boulders.<p>

The war continued for half an hour without anything special going on. Ruff was very adept at shooting the catapult. All of her shots were either direct hits on the target or accidentally hit another one on its way. And, as the village had come to expect from me, I was the best at keeping those monsters at bay.

But after some time, when it seemed that we had the upper hand this night, something unexpected happened. I was doing a battle cry at the moment, so it took me some time to realize. As it had always done, it started with that high-pitched shriek, its tone rising as it soared through the sky.

_No way__..._ I futilely tried to see the creature in the darkness. _Is it really..? _It attacked. A blue mix of lightning and fire struck the base of the tower upon which Ruff and I stood. I could hear the gust of wind very close by, meaning the beast just flew past. This was definitely a Night Fury._ So, one showed up again. This is going to be good. _

The tower shook as the pillars down below started to crumble. The wooden catapult groaned as it shifted sideways. I quickly jumped off onto the land before I would fall with it into the ocean. Ruffnut made one more boulder fly towards a Gronckle before jumping after me. Down on the ground, I immediately ran off through the village. "Do your thing, Astrid! It's all yours!" Ruffnut yelled after me. I lifted my hand to show that I had heard her.

Everywhere around me people were shouting the name of the dragon to warn the others. They took cover underneath their shields and inside houses, but I kept on running. Along the way I grabbed a throwing axe stuck in a window sill. I was going to finish this one off the same way I had slaughtered the first. I let my fingers slip over my scar again, to remind me of my motive for hating Night Furies. On the highest hill of the village, I entered one of the houses and stormed up the stairs, ignoring the inhabitants, who uttered their surprise and confusion as I rushed by. Upstairs I opened a window, climbed outside and jumped upon the roof.

There I waited, gazing at the village below me, but focusing more on what I heard than what I saw. The Thunderdrum had been silenced; they had probably gotten rid of it by now. I recognized the call of a Monstrous Nightmare, but that was not what I was searching for. Then, almost inaudible, I heard the upcoming shriek of the Night Fury in the distance. After having checked my surroundings, ensuring no other dragon would get me by surprise, I closed my eyes. All other noises got lost in the moment. There was just me and the approaching devil. My hearing and instincts guided me. I visualized the position of the Night Fury, the direction it was heading, the speed it had, and the distance between us. My arm received this information, and passed it on to the throwing axe.

My eyes were kept shut, even after I had flung away the weapon. There was no chance I could see the dragon anyway. My ears were more trustworthy than my eyes in this situation. The shriek prior to its fire blast held on for a while, until it suddenly turned into a roar. _Yes! A hit! _A wave of satisfaction crawled through my body. Now I opened my eyes and looked towards the point where the roaring came from. A small jet of blue fire gave away the Night Fury's position in the dark. The most important part was that I could see where it landed, so I could finish it off myself if necessary.

But the dragon soared over me and kept going, towards the forest behind Raven Point. The satisfaction I had felt for a few seconds was crushed by the heavy feeling of disappointment. _Great. I probably just scratched it a little. And if it's healthy enough to fly, I can't risk going after it… _Completely infuriated, I climbed back inside the house.

"What did you do up there?" the lady of the house asked as I walked by again. A little too late, I asked them to excuse me and explained the situation. After that, I went outside and unleashed my agitation on a few more dragons.

An hour or so later, the raid had ended. The Night Fury hadn't shown itself anymore. It was still night, but the dragons seemed to realize that this battle was lost. As soon as I noticed more dragons retreating than attacking, I made my way back to the lower fields, to meet up with Stoick. The chief of the tribe was already giving orders to recover whatever food was left and gather it in the right places, to chop down trees and fix the houses that had been burned. When he saw me approach, there was a vague hint of a smile visible underneath his rough beard. "Ah. You got that Night Fury, didn't you?"  
>"It got away," I said curtly. "Sorry, Stoick."<br>"That's OK. As long as those monsters stop attacking our catapults, you have done your job well."  
><em>Yes, I did well. But not great, <em>I thought while respectfully nodding to the chief and walking back home.

The day that followed that night was a terrible one. I was known to be grumpy at times, but the escape of the Night Fury kept nagging me the entire time. I didn't want to talk to anybody, especially not Fishy, who always fruitlessly tried to make me feel better with nice words. That afternoon I spent hours sitting in front of my mirror, staring at my scar, thinking back to that other terrible day.

I clenched my fists so much that my nails caused my hands to bleed. With grinding teeth I stared at him, and he looked back with that pretentiously guilty glance. My entire body was shaking with anger. If Gobber hadn't been standing in between us, I would have jumped at him and driven my axe into his face. Later I would know that, even if Gobber hadn't been standing there, I wouldn't have done it, but it was a mighty satisfying thing to fantasize about at the moment.

The other kids lifted him up and carried him on their shoulders, cheering loudly and chanting his name. And he took it all in with an air of indifference. I was left alone in the ring. I was not the type to brag, but I was _way_ better than all the others, and Hiccup was WAY worse. Yet, in a matter of weeks, he had managed to climb up and take over the village. And always keeping up the act of being a helpless, clumsy shrimp.

I knew he had been training. He must've been hiding his real potential all this time, so he could claim the honor by surprising everyone with his 'sudden change'. I knew he had a secret, and I was dying to find out. Not so much to expose him for the prick he really was, but just to know how he did it.

So that afternoon, as he slipped out of the village again, I made another attempt at following him. He was walking in a calm manner, not hurrying at all. _He must be really enjoying himself right now, _I thought as I peered at him from behind a tree.

The first part of the trail was easy to follow. He always headed down the main path in the same direction. It was further into the forest where I lost him so many times. So in the beginning, I focused more on staying hidden. Hiccup was carrying a big basket which probably contained whatever he trained with. He was talking to himself, a habit he must have gained from his years playing the village's black sheep. I was too far away to hear exactly what he was saying, but I wouldn't care anyway.

With every move I made, I was getting more excited. I had never managed to follow him this far. Behind every tree, I took a deep breath before I continued. Then something disturbed me. The sound was too short for me to tell what exactly it was, but it was high-pitched and loud. It could have been a bird, but it could also be a dragon. I scanned the sky with my axe at the ready. When a few moments of waiting gave me the conclusion that it was nothing threatening, I realized that my original purpose here was going to give me the slip.

I rushed after Hiccup, guessing his direction and fiercely hoping I had it right. The trail I had chosen led me towards a strange rocky formation I had never noticed here before. I squirmed through the opening to have a quick look on the other side. There was a steep pathway leading to lower grounds. I turned around, thinking that this wouldn't be the way Hiccup went. But I quickly turned back again. Even all those years ago, my ears proved a better source of information than my other senses. Through the echoes of this pathway, I heard Hiccup's voice, yelling loudly, but probably still talking to himself, praising himself for his great success. Sighing with relief, I hastened through the pathway. The other end came out at the bottom of a small cove with a lake in the middle. For a moment I was captivated by the scenery, as I walked out in the open to admire the high mossy cliffs.

Too late I recognized the sound of beating wings. As I turned, a black dragon came straight towards me, roared and lashed out with his claws. One of them missed, but the other ripped apart the skin on my forehead. The force of the hit knocked me over. The blood flowed over my eyes, blurring my vision with a mucky read haze. I groped around for my axe. When I found it, I stood up, wiped the blood out of my eyes and tried to see where the dragon was.

By that time, the dragon was the size of my hand, flying away to the distance. Breathing heavily, I sank through my knees. _Thank the gods, it didn't come back for me... _I took the time to consider what just happened. The wounds on my forehead weren't deep enough to cause major concern, although it might need attending to pretty soon. And that dragon, I had never seen one like that before. My mind shifted through my memories, as if shifting through the pages of the Dragon Manual. But none of the dragons of which the looks were known fitted this image. The only thing it could be, was a Night Fury. And it just flew away. _Why didn't it come back?_ Several possibilities came to me. It could have been chickenhearted, it could have been uninterested, it could be that it wasn't hungry. _Or… he already has eaten._

That last possibility seemed the most likely one, though I didn't like it. Again I swept away the blood obscuring my vision as I walked through the cove. "Hiccup?" I first tried softly, then louder, until my voice echoed through the canyon. "Hiccup?" I was certain he had been here, he had been shouting pretty loud. That fact made me even more concerned. _What if he shouted out of fear as he was devoured by that Night Fury?_ He didn't really sound afraid when I heard it, but I could have been wrong.

Continuously cleaning my eyes, walking in circles on wobbly knees which still hadn't recovered from the surprise attack, I wasn't very efficient in searching the terrain. In fact, I even tripped over something I had barely noticed. When I looked around, I recognized the remains of the basket Hiccup had brought with him. That was the only thing left in this cove. The only thing left of him. I had continued my search for a few more minutes, but there was nothing else to be found.

There was only one conclusion I could draw from this… I had to tell the chief, and I had to stop the bleeding. My journey back was long and draining, literally. Several times in a row I tripped over something because I couldn't see it coming. The first person to see me was Fishlegs, who had been hunting for rabbits a mile or two outside the village. I was close to collapsing, so he carried me the rest of the way. He was completely stressed out, constantly shouting people to get help. He took me to his place, which was the closest building to our location, and put me down on the bench in front of his house. His mother came out, shrieked and immediately started to treat the gaps on my forehead.

"I need to speak to the chief," I murmured. "Please get him here." Fishlegs nodded and ran away. Some of the tribe grouped around me, while others went to fetch my parents. Before long a circle of Vikings had formed around the front door of Fishy's house, and more of them joined the mass, wondering what everybody was looking at. My parents roughly pushed them aside to see if I was going to make it. But I would be fine. I could only imagine what the chief would have to go through, what I would have to let him go through. I hated myself already, but I knew I had to tell him.

Then Stoick cleared a way through the crowd until he reached me. "Astrid? What is it you needed me for?" the chief asked, awkwardly looking at the cleansed rips on my face. I looked at him with grief. There was no easy way to say what I had to say. It only took me three words to completely shatter the chief's heart.

"Hiccup is dead."

The scar had locked my facial expression. From that day on, I could only look serious, angry, or seriously angry. When I tried to smile, there would also be something devilish about my face. Not that I was going to smile that often after what happened. My wound had been infected, so I could only stay in bed all day for a long time. It took me a month to fully recover, but it took Stoick three years to get back to being sort of normal. I believe he still hasn't really gotten over it.

I blamed myself for what happened. I figured that Hiccup could still be alive if I had done a better job at following him. I also felt extremely guilty for the way I treated the boy. He was the best Viking of our age, and he was going to slay his first dragon in front of the village just one day after his death. He had deserved that honor, and I was just incredibly jealous.

I trained even harder to become the best dragon killer. And three years after the incident, I finally got my revenge. For the first time in years, a Night Fury attacked our village. It reigned over the sky for a couple of days, until I managed to hit it and make it crash land in the middle of the village. At dawn, it had already passed away, with my axe lodged in his spine. It looked exactly as I remembered from that day; black as the night, with strong claws and mighty jaws. I really felt that I had avenged the chief's son, and I reckoned the chief himself thought that way as well. He got his closure, and started acting like his old self again.

I was hailed with praise and respect. The entire village came to know me as the Fury Slayer, a title which granted me high status and massive popularity. Stoick already promised to make me his prime advisor of dragon strategies, once I had gained the traditional age. Of all the men interested in being my husband, I married with Fishlegs, who in that time was the only one to treat me like a normal person, and not some sacred heroine.

And now, eight years later, a second dragon of that rare breed had appeared. I always knew that there were more of them, but somehow this encounter had flung me back into a state of insecurity. What if that Night Fury I killed all those years ago, was not the one that killed Hiccup? Then I wouldn't have avenged him at all, I would just have killed a dragon that happened to be there and happened to be of the same species. This thought frustrated me all day long.

"Astrid?" Fishlegs asked carefully, opening the door just far enough to be able to pop his head around the corner. "Dinner's ready. Are you coming?" I nodded, even though I waited a little before following him downstairs. Fish was a pretty good cook. Especially his pork chops were delicious enough to cheer me up from anything. He knew that as well, so he had made an extra large portion.  
>"I'm going on patrol duty tonight," I murmured when we had almost finished eating. Fish looked at me for a few seconds.<br>"OK, but be careful. You've been… off, all day. You think you can concentrate?"  
>"Come on, Fish, you know me! " I said agitatedly. "When it comes to dragons, I'm nothing else but concentration." Fishlegs nodded, knowing he shouldn't argue with me on that point. An uncomfortable silence was all that was left. Then he coughed, and tried to sound enthusiastic.<p>

"We, err, we found a new Terror stuck in a net as we tidied up the village. We put it with the others to replace the last one. "  
>"Great. The teens really missed it. Those little Terrors are the best for basic training. Gives them a feel for it without scaring them to death."<br>"Yeah. Remember what Gobber did to us the first lesson?" I laughed; I hadn't laughed in ages. My smile had vanished as quick as it had appeared. Fish saw in my eyes what I was feeling, so I looked away. It made me feel like a terrible person. I had no reason to laugh. I had no right to laugh. _Not after what happened._

I didn't talk to Fish until I went on patrol. I barely said goodbye to him when I left. I needed to stop recalling those bad memories, and start paying attention to the task at hand. There were only a few other Vikings out tonight, as a raid on two nights in a row was rare. We never left the village unguarded though. I started with checking the sky from multiple locations. There was no dragon to be seen or heard. But that could be pretty misleading.

So my nightly stroll led me to all the spots where we had hidden our food. Sometimes a lone dragon would try to sneak up on the storage buildings and grab a fish or two without us noticing. But tonight, there were no traces of any kind. The only signs that pointed out to dragon activity were those of last night. After finding out that every single storage of the village was safe, I turned around and started walking randomly.

I wasn't in the mood to return home yet, but there wasn't anything specific left to do either. All I could do was wander around, keeping my eyes open for anything unusual. So that utterly boring task got my mind wandering again, back to the past. _It really was my fault, and I've done nothing to fix it. Not that it can be fixed. There is nothing left to do. So what am I doing? Here?_

Unconsciously I had walked up to the battle ring. Last night some dragon must have been angry, as a big part of the outer gate was burned down. With my torch raised, I inspected the damage as I walked by. The wood even moaned with the smallest breeze. It would need to be repaired soon if we were to keep it from collapsing. But that was not the only wood that creaked. I could hear the ring gate being opened, even though it was just for a second or two. Wondering who on earth would be going to the dragon cages this time at night, I went forth to investigate.

The gate had been opened just enough for a person to crawl underneath it. I looked at the ring from where I stood. The light of my torch didn't reach far enough to see anybody. However, my truthful ears picked up on a soft mumbling somewhere inside. "Who's there?" I called. The mumbling stopped, then continued, only faster and a little louder. And this time, it was accompanied with a low grumble. Two sparkles in the distance made my instincts peak. I reached for the axe on the wall right beside me, exhaled carefully and rolled underneath the gate.

"Say your name and purpose, stranger," I said in an intimidating manner, approaching the spot where I had seen the sparkle. The grumbling continued, but the voice I had heard earlier was whispering as well, nervous but stern. Suddenly it shouted.  
>"No, don't! You know that won't solve anything -" but he was cut off by another sound. <em>That <em>terrible, shrieking sound. _NIGHT FURY_.

I duck for cover as the blue lightning shot past me and made the gate explode. My torch had fallen and the flame had died out, but the burning remains of the gate were enough to help me distinguish the devilish black dragon. It's bright yellow eyes stared at me angrily as it roared and charged. In one movement I rolled aside and jumped on my feet, the axe lifted above my head. A battle cry escaped my throat as I suppressed my fear and attacked.

The Night Fury opened its wings wide and stood up on its hind legs, pretending to be larger. I ignored this threat display and kept going, only vaguely aware of the person hysterically shouting nearby. I swung my axe down. _This is a hit. Definitely a hit. I can't miss it._ Yet I did. My axe swooped down, whirled sideways and missed the dragon by an inch or two. The stranger had pushed me aside.

"Are you crazy?" I threw him off me and rolled aside. _Keep moving, keep moving._ I had no weapon left, so I needed to get to a safe distance before anything else. Only after a few seconds did I turn to see where the dragon was. But what I saw surprised me. The person was holding the Night Fury back, with his bare hands, mumbling soothing words. _He really is crazy…_

"It's OK. It's OK. She has no weapon anymore, see?" The dragon calmed down, dropped back on all fours, or rather just three of its legs; it held up its right one, limping painfully. It still growled at me, but didn't seem to attack any time soon. Knowing that I wouldn't have to worry as much about the dragon as I thought, my attention shifted to the 'human' stranger. _How can this guy control dragons that way?_

The burning gate was no more than smoldering bits of wood now, so the light had dimmed drastically. I could barely keep the black dragon apart from the shadows behind it, and the guy standing next to it was just a silhouette. But I could see that he was looking at me, and I felt really vulnerable without my weapon. But the axe was lying close by the two intruders. If I made a move to get it, they might see it as a threat and attack before I managed to grab it.

The dragon's big yellow eyes looked from me to the guy and he grumbled a little. "I don't know! I haven't talked to people in years!" the guy whispered to the dragon. "Why can't you talk to her?" The dragon snorted. "Oh. Right. Good point."  
>"Get to the point, lunatic! Who are you? What are you doing here?" I said, whilst slowly stepping back.<p>

"I can barely see her. I might need to give us some light. A torch or something. Ah, there." Even though he was standing several meters away from me, he talked as if he was alone. It was all very disturbing. Then he walked to the wall behind them, where there were some unlit torches hanging between two of the cages. He grabbed two, walked back, held them up and said: "Light." The dragon made a sneezing motion, letting out a little puff of fire, just enough to light the torches. _He COMMANDS the damn devil? What is he, the dragon overlord?_

The Night Fury still growled at me, showing a line of glistening pointy teeth. But it was no longer the biggest threat in this ring. The young man who stared at me with deep, dark eyes was familiar. _Too_ familiar. His voice had already stirred something inside me, although not enough for me to realize. _No, it can't be him. He died eight years ago, he can't be standing here. Unless…_  
>The young man stepped closer, holding out one of the torches to see my face. I stepped back even further. "I already thought so," he mumbled, pensively staring at me. "The way she moved was so familiar. She had to be Astrid! That's great. She might understand."<p>

He was standing just a few feet away now, and still coming closer. I backed off even more, completely terrified. _He has to be. It explains everything: why he's here, why he acts that weird, why the dragon listens to him. He's a draugr._ While walking backwards, I stumbled and fell, continuing to crouch away. He stopped in his tracks, still murmuring to himself. "She seems afraid. That can't be good. It's nothing like her to be afraid. Maybe I should say something… Astrid?" As the draugr raised the volume of his voice, again making my head explode with bad memories and guilt trips, I closed my eyes and turned my head away.

_Breath. Breath, Astrid!_ I told myself as the fear started choking me. _This is one of his tricks. He's trying to drive you crazy, to torture you until you die. You've got to stand against it and run!_ The stories that were told to us when we were little about monsters of the afterlife came back to me. There was no fighting against a draugr. It could harm you, make you go mad, it could kill you, but it couldn't be harmed itself. Your only chance of survival was to hide and pray it would never find you. _Then why can't I move? Am I already too far gone to break loose? Is this it?_

I floated, softly wobbled back and forth. A warm sensation surrounded me. My head was heavy. It rolled sideways between my shoulders as my body moved through the darkness. A shadow carried me away, away from life. _So that's it. I really did die. _I wanted to open my eyes to see where I was, how I was, _who_ I was. But my muscles were gone, just like the light. Everlasting darkness didn't just surround me, it was part of me as well. Memories, beliefs, stories from village elders, everything seemed vague and foreign. A strange, harmonic buzz echoed through the space, together with a rhythmic drum. It almost sounded like a band of musicians playing in the distance.

As I relaxed, floating in this emptiness, I started thinking. _Why did Hiccup return as a draugr? Why now, after so long? What was he doing in the battle ring?_ All sorts of questions popped up, and with every second (or hour, or century for that matter), what had happened there seemed more and more illogical. On top of that, I was starting to get the feeling that I wasn't dead yet. At least I hadn't suspected that I would be floating like this for a terribly long time.

Then something happened. A force pressed against my back, curving my body and pushing me forward. I knew, because I felt soft gusts of wind slide along my cheeks and hair. _Where am I going? Why am I going? And how can there be wind if there is nothing else? Where is it coming from?_ The rhythmic drum in the distance quickened. Other softer drums played along now. The buzz became less stable. Sometimes it was loud, other times soft, almost disappearing completely. It's tones turned into a strange language, a song of sorts. "MUUAASSSDDIIII? Zoozeess, laaaaiiiiii aw biiiiuhh…" Other low rumbles joined the symphony, like lightning, surprising me every time. A hiss rushed past from left to right. And I was still moving.

Light appeared in the middle of my vision, even though I had my eyes shut. It started out red, spread through the darkness, and then became brighter. Little shadowy figures danced in its colors, like black flickering stars. All of a sudden, I started to realize things. I wasn't moving forward, but lying against something. The rhythmic drum I heard all the time was my own heart beat. My head was aching terribly, and my eyes had been open for a while, only seeing everything in a great blur. So I tried to focus, and the dancing shadows disappeared. The light turned out to be a small campfire. And the buzz I heard really was a voice. "Muassid? Awyu owgeh?" I couldn't understand it quite yet, but I knew one thing for certain. _I am still alive…_

As the fog before my eyes lifted, the Night Fury from before appeared again. It limped around the fire, away from me, growling angrily. I could have jumped up and tried to run away, if only my muscles hadn't been so weak. I managed to shut my eyes, and open them again, but more than that was impossible. Suddenly _his_ face showed up, as he kneeled before me. His lips moved, although the sound took a few seconds to reach me. "Assid? Are yu ogey?"

I tried to make a sound as well. My mouth opened, and I breathed in and out. The draugr was right in front of me, and yet I didn't feel any fear. Instead, my mind started asking more questions. _Why doesn't he carry the stench of rotting flesh? Why is there a lively flicker in his eyes? A draugr should be nothing more than a carcass arisen from death to haunt the living. It should have no emotions and no mercy. Yet this one, this person, seems friendly, and scared… Why? _He turned his head around towards the Night Fury and talked to it. I could barely make out his words. My head was still throbbing too much for me to take anything in properly.

A hiss sounded from my right ear to my left, and from behind me, a Terrible Terror showed itself. With its front claws placed on my lap, it stared at me boldly. My instincts unsuccessfully tried to wake me up. I raised my hand and held on to the side of my head. Moving muscles was rather easy, apparently. The Terror hissed and backed off, quickly clawing its way up the nearest tree, so I didn't have to worry about that anymore.

"Astrid?" I finally heard clearly. I looked straight at the young man, who had sat down with the soles of his feet against each other, his hands resting on his knees. There were lots of little scratch marks on his face and hands, giving him a shaggy appearance. He looked at me with great interest. "She looks more alert now," he mumbled. "The shock must have been great. I'll give her a little more time to clear her head… Hmm, that scar looks nasty. She's probably a very strong dragon killer by now."

"Stop that." The man was just as surprised to hear the strength in my voice as I was. I shifted my position to sit more upright against the tree behind me. I vaguely recognized the forest around us. We were about half an hour walking away from the village. "You… You really are Hiccup, right?"  
>"Yes, I am," he said. A silence ensued. I had so much questions that I didn't know where to start. The Night Fury licked its right paw, now and again staring at me with warily. Now I saw some leather contraption on its back, looking like a saddle. Somewhere above us the little Terror jumped from branch to branch, watching us carefully. Both dragons seemed unlikely to attack me. So my attention was completely fixed on the mystery surrounding Hiccup.<p>

"I don't know what to do here," he started to murmur again. "Maybe I should say something., but she told me to stop. Stop what, actually? I wasn't doing anything."  
>"You're talking to yourself," I said, once again startling the young man. "Stop that, it's very unnerving." As a flash of pain rushed through it, I grabbed my head again. This time, I felt a big sensitive lump right above my ear. "What happened?"<br>"Err… You, seemed really scared. And I reached out to touch you. And as soon as I did that, you fainted."  
>"That's all?" I asked. "I fainted?"<br>"Well, that, and Toothless accidentally kicked your head." The Night Fury snorted, as if to tell that it wasn't an accident. "I didn't know what to do, and I couldn't leave you there, so I carried you to this place… Should I ask?" he mumbled more quietly after finishing his explanation.  
>"Ask what?" I said, getting annoyed with his strange way of speaking. I was getting the feeling that he said out loud almost everything he thought. Hiccup averted his eyes.<p>

"How did you get that scar?" he finally asked. I sighed. It struck me as funny how he brought up the subject himself.  
>"I got this scar from a Night Fury, eight years ago. When I was following a boy who had been acting fairly strange. I followed him all the way to some cove, but there was no trace of the boy, only a Night Fury. As it flew away, it scratched my forehead. I figured he had eaten the boy, as there was nothing left of him but a broke n basket." There was another silence, while Hiccup and I stared at each other. After an uncomfortably long time, he said:<br>"That boy, that was me, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was you! Gods…" I said frustrated. Both Hiccup and the dragons were surprised by my outburst, but I didn't care about that. If they wanted to kill me, I would have been dead already. And I was going to kill them if I didn't get any answers soon. "Now would you start explaining how you are sitting in front of me, alive and all?"  
>"I'm sorry!" Hiccup said, slightly panicking. "I never died. Toothless, he didn't eat me. I, was on his back as he flew away. He- He's my best friend." Stuttering fearfully, he told his story. How he'd shot down the Night Fury, and later found it in the woods. How he had freed it and cared for it, repaired his tail fin and learned to fly with it. How he discovered many ways to take out a dragon without really causing damage, hence his sudden improvement in dragon training. How he lost himself in the pressure of having to kill a dragon in front of the village and decided to leave with Toothless, the name he had given the black devil. As he left, he had noticed that I stood there, but he thought that I had seen him as well. He hadn't seen that I was hit by the dragon's claw, and thought that I would tell on him after seeing him leave with the dragon. He thought he would never be allowed back into the village after that. As he talked, he became more calm, and for me, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.<p>

"So I roamed around with Toothless, living isolated from the rest of Berk. I guess I started talking to myself to make up for the lack of contact with humans. But I had all the company I needed, and we've had quite some adventures together." I waited for a while. Clearly he had finished his story. There were still some things I didn't really grasp, like his notion that dragons were tamable and friendly, but at least I had a logical theory of how he could be living still and what had happened eight years ago.

"Let me get this straight. You've been living on your own for eight years, thinking that you wouldn't be allowed back to the village." Hiccup nodded while petting Toothless. The dragon had relaxed and seemed to drowse off with his head on the young man's lap. "Then why are you back all of a sudden? What were you doing in the battle ring?"  
>"I was there to rescue Binkie," Hiccup answered simply. Suddenly the Terrible Terror, which I had forgotten completely, dropped itself from the trees above, landing on Hiccup's shoulder. It hissed contently and wrapped itself around Hiccup's neck. "I had told her to stay away as we approached the night raid, but she didn't listen and she got caught. So I had to free her from her cage in the battle ring. We found her three years ago, Toothless and I. She was stuck between some rocks. She had an injury on her wing, so I took care of Binkie ever since that day. I called her that because she bit off my pinky." Grinning childishly, he raised his right hand to show that most of his little finger was gone. I suddenly realized how much he had changed. He bore scars, he'd grown muscles, he'd learned to live in a harsh environment. Yet he still had some of the strange traits he had long ago, like his almost constant awkwardness and his weird names.<br>"You called her Binkie, because she bit off your pinky?" I repeated with a snort. It sounded pretty stupid, though I had heard more bizarre things up till now. I brushed this off pretty quickly.

"Why would you join the raid in the first place? You could have hurt people. You destroyed one of our towers! I could have killed both of you if that axe had landed in his head instead of his paw," I said pointing at the Night Fury's injury, of which I had already figured it was caused by me. Hiccup looked away with guilt.  
>"I didn't want to, but I had no choice. Toothless was fired up and I couldn't stand seeing you guys hurt those dragons. It's not their fault, you know. T- That's the real reason I returned. I discovered it last week, and I knew I had to tell you guys. I wanted to show myself last night, but when Toothless got hurt and Binkie got caught, I decided it was better to wait a while -"<p>

"What was it you found out?" I asked, knowing that he would keep talking if I didn't stop him.  
>"I found the Nest."<p>

My mouth dropped open. I could have expected someone so close to dragons like Hiccup to find the Nest, yet it still was a complete shock. "You found the Nest?"  
>"Well, actually Toothless did. Only dragons can find it. I was peacefully floating with Toothless and Binkie when they suddenly got agitated and picked up the speed. They headed for the fog, and could maneuver through it instinctively. It was pretty amazing, seeing them follow their senses blindly."<p>

"Only dragons find the Nest?" I repeated. Hiccup nodded, getting enthusiastic.  
>"It's a very big island with volcanoes and caves and tunnels everywhere. There were tons of dragons, although they weren't very happy to see me. Toothless and Binkie headed to the biggest volcano, flying into a tunnel. And there was this massive cave in the center, like a communal hall, and all dragons brought their food there. But not to eat it. There is a special dragon, a giant one, which is really aggressive."<p>

"A giant dragon?" I mumbled, more and more flabbergasted.  
>"Yes! It demands all the food of the dragons who try to rest there, and if they didn't bring something good, they'd be eaten themselves. But that's the only safe place for those dragons, so they have no choice but to give their food away. They have no choice but to raid villages. That's so sad that I wanted to do something about it. So I came back here."<p>

"You came back, because of a giant dragon pestering the other dragons?" Hiccup nodded.  
>"I figured that is we could stop that queen dragon, then the others could finally live free, live together with humans. They deserve that: they're really smart, and can be tremendous good friends. But I could not save them alone. I knew I needed back-up. So I decided to come back, and face my father. Maybe I could show the villagers what I've shown you now! How dragons can be good companions. I could ask for help from the tribe -"<p>

"You shouldn't," I interrupted him. It was harsh, but I seriously meant it. "You really shouldn't have come back. And you should most certainly not go to the village." Hiccup slumped down, upset and disillusioned. I felt sorry for him and hated myself for saying it, but I really thought it was the best thing to do. "Everybody in the village thinks you're dead. We were all devastated, especially your father. He's finally coming back around. I just fainted when I saw you, but your old man might not survive it when he sees you face to face."

A painful silence fell as Hiccup thought about my words. His Night Fury, who'd noticed we stopped talking, opened his eyes and looked from me to its master. The Terror held its head askew for a while, but was soon distracted by an insect on the ground. Hiccup and I stared at each other. The possibility that this all was a dream still lingered in my mind, but it shrunk another bit when I saw the sadness in his eyes.

"Is it really that bad?" he asked. I could hear the sadness in his voice as well. Averting my gaze, I shrugged.  
>"I can't tell for certain, but the chance is huge. You've just been gone for too long. It's been eight years, and so many things have changed… We have moved on. First Snotlout married Ruffnut, then I married Fishlegs… Ruff got a child and… I started the new classes of dragon training as Gobber lost his sight."<br>"He did?" Hiccup mumbled. I nodded indifferently.  
>"Deadly Nadder sting. The poison spread too fast. He's lucky to be alive though. The poor man occacionally still tries to forge something… What I'm trying to say is, that you can't pull us back in the past. Maybe a year after your dea- your disappearance could have been handled, but eight…"<p>

"So, it's too late, then?" Hiccup said after another long pause.  
>"I'm afraid it is," I said. "And I think it's time I returned to the village too. My shift should be at its end right now, and I've got an explosion at the battle ring to explain." Hiccup sniggered again, but slowly his smile disappeared.<br>"That went different that I'd expected. Now I have to leave again. I didn't get any help in the end. I could try other villages- No, don't think they'll listen to a complete stranger with two dragons. So it's a lost cause. All I can do now is continue to protect and feed as many dragons as I can."

"You're mumbling to yourself again," I said, smiling pitifully. Of all people, he must have gone through the hardest time of us all. Hiccup stared at the ground with a peaceful smile on his face.  
>"It's been nice talking to you," he said.<br>"The same here. It has made a lot clear to me." I stroked the scar on my forehead, and watched the Night Fury. Only this time, I noticed I felt some sort of respect towards him. He had marked me long ago, now I had marked him as well. We were even, and we understood each other. Toothless nodded, and I nodded back.

Hiccup walked a little while with me until there was a spot where the Night Fury could take off without hitting the trees. I didn't say anything. I wondered how my life would be knowing that Hiccup was still alive. How I was going to keep this secret; would I treasure it, or ignore it as if it was a dream. _I don't want that. I don't want this to be a dream._ "Hiccup?" I asked. He looked at me. "Is there something you can give, to prove to me that our meeting was real?"

The young man held his head askew, resembling his Terror awfully well, before he started looking through his pouches. Toothless looked up in a curious manner, his right leg carefully placed on the ground. He would walk on that again in no time, I knew that for certain. On his back, sitting on the saddle Hiccup had made eight years ago, which still worked perfectly, the Terror Binkie trampled impatiently.  
>"Will this do?" He handed me a dragon's scale. I laughed and was just about to say that I had my own collection, that this wouldn't mean anything, when I saw what effect the moonlight had. When Hiccup handed it over, the scale seemed a pale white, dead and colorless. But in the moonlight, all possible colors appeared, and as I moved it in my hand, the colors moved along. It almost felt as if the scale was alive itself.<p>

"This is perfect," I gasped. Hiccup sniggered as he showed a scar on his left lower arm.  
>"It was a dragon I couldn't remember from the Dragon Manual," he said. "A very long dragon, with broad wings, and as it flies it wrangles beautifully. I'd call it a Moon Dancer. It got a little snappy as I got too close to its kill. It clawed at me, then grabbed its meat and flew away. It left this on the ground -" The Night Fury interrupted him with a snort. After we looked at him, he turned his head, watching a forest trail, a great place for lift-off. We both knew what that meant.<br>"Right. Gotcha, buddy," Hiccup said. "So… This is farewell. For real, this time."  
>"Yes… Good luck out there." I kept looking at the scale, unable to look the young man in the eyes.<br>"Yes. You, good luck out here," he said clumsily as he mounted Toothless. Binkie got aloft, flew a circle around me, hissing loudly, and rushed up towards the sky. Hiccup smiled sadly as the Night Fury limped two steps before beating its wings and flying away. I ran to the path and watched the black dot disappear against the dark clouds.

I stood there for another minute. Several times I thought I could still see them moving, but I knew that it was just my imagination. I clenched my fist around the scale. _What a night… _Then I continued to walk back home. It was no more than ten minutes before I reached the village. As I got closer, I could hear Fishy calling my name. That scaredy-cat had already put up a search party. _But who could blame him. They must have heard the blast of the Night Fury. And he was already worried._ When I saw him, I quickly hid the dragon scale in my skirt and hurried towards him.

"Astrid! Thank the gods, you're -" He probably stopped talking out of surprise when I hugged him. But I had realized tonight just how much I loved him, and how blessed I was. Even though it turned out to be Hiccup, I still had a near-death-experience with what I thought to be a draugr a few hours ago. It made me realize what I had to be happy with. "W- What happened? Were you at the battle ring earlier?" Fish asked insecurely.  
>"Yeah. There was- a Nadder which got stuck inside. It got angry and blew up the gate. Also, the Terror escaped, so we have to catch a new one again."<p>

"But why did you come from the woods just now?" he kept asking.  
>"I chased after the Nadder, of course. But it's gone now, and I'm fine. Just, can we go home? I'm really tired." Fish looked at me a little longer, but then nodded, as always, and walked home with me. He quietly put an arm around my waist. I responded with a kiss, surprising him again.<br>"Are you sure you're OK?" he asked with bulging eyes. Maybe I shouldn't have been smiling.  
>"I really am fine, I swear. I've just done some thinking, and- I've got to enjoy my life a little bit more…"<p>

Looking up at ceiling of our bedroom, I kept thinking about what happened for a long time, unable to fall asleep._ What happened tonight shouldn't change anything. I am still the Fury Slayer. Dragons are still horrible monsters. And it's my duty, my honor, to kill them and protect our village. _But that wasn't what I really thought. I hesitated a lot about the real nature of dragons, and what was the right thing to do. I also hesitated about what to tell the chief. I had told Hiccup that it was a bad idea, yet it seemed even worse to keep this a secret from Stoick. Then I shook my head. And turned to lie on my side. _If that scale is still there in the morning, I'll do it, _I decided. _Only then I'll step up to the chief._ After that, it didn't take long for sleep to take over.

I woke up. Another bad night of sleep. Not because it was pestered with nightmares, but because of the short time. I raised my head, listening to the birds outside. Fish was already up, probably preparing breakfast for the two of us. He was better at cooking than anything else, although he always tried the best he could with other chores, like during raids…

When the memories of last night hit me just as hard as a hammer could, I jumped out of bed, anxiously looking for the skirt I wore last night. It took me a while to find it, as Fishy had put it with the laundry, not knowing about the treasure it held. When the skirt showed up in the pile of dirty clothes, I almost ripped it apart, searching and searching. One second, my heart sank, thinking it wasn't there, but then my hand grabbed onto a strong smooth object. I pulled it out, and held up the pale white scale. Seeing it's murky reflection, while knowing the true colors it could show, it gave me a tremendously happy feeling. I wanted to smile, to laugh out loud, to dance around the house, embracing this token of truth. I barely managed to restrain myself to just the smiling.

Later that day, I walked through the village to visit the chief's house. I grabbed the leather string around my neck and lifted the necklace out of my shirt. It had taken me an hour to pierce a hole through the scale without damaging it too much. Now that the job was done, I was really content with the result. As I climbed the hill upon which Stoick's house was built, I put it back and recalled the words I wanted to say one more time.  
>"Stoick?" I asked, knocking on the door. "It's me, Astrid. I'd like to share something." Stoick opened the door and smiled his best possible smile.<br>"Oh, good morning. What is it the tribe's Fury Slayer has to offer?" he asked in a friendly manner. I smiled, knowing full well and not caring at all that my face could be scary that way.  
>"It's an idea. An assumption, actually. Vikings have never been able to find the Nest, but dragons are probably able to get there without a problem. So what if we took a dragon and…"<p> 


End file.
